Dr. Mary Treuting on Being Dean of LSU Alexandria College of Social Sciences

Mary Boone Treuting, PhD, Professor of Psychology and a licensed psychologist, and who  served as Chair of the Psychology Department at Louisiana State University Alexandria (LSUA),  was promoted to the role of Dean of the College of Social Sciences last year. For this feature, we were able to interview Dr. Treuting and discover some of the challenges and joys of moving

from Professor and department chair to Dean at LSU Alexandria.

Dr. Treuting has served at LSUA since 1994 and was the founding director of the LSUA Center  for Teaching Excellence in 2010 and the Center for Academic Success in 2014, which housed  LSUA’s First Year Experience. 

She was the recipient of the Bolton Award for Teaching Excellence and has held three Endowed Professorships. She is the current holder of the F. Hugh Coughlin Endowed Professorship.

According to the University, the College of Social Sciences offers programs designed to “help  students shape their society and make a meaningful mark on the world.” Degree paths include Criminal Justice, Disaster Science, History, Political Science, or Psychology. Also offered are  courses in Anthropology, Geography, Social Work, and Sociology.

In the fall of 2018, the LSUA Psychology Department was named one of two academic  departments chosen by on-campus students as a 5-Star department, according to officials. The  Bachelor of Science in Psychology was also recognized as one of the nation’s best Online  Psychology Programs by Affordable Colleges Online. LSUA’s program was ranked 38th in the  U.S. and is the highest ranked online psychology program of any Louisiana school.

The Psychology Times asked Dr. Treuting what has it been like for her since she took over as  Dean?

Dr. Treuting: This first year has been quite an adventure as our university has moved into a new academic structure. Much of our time has involved updating policies and processes and  ensuring that students are getting what they need.

A new area for me has been reaching out to the community and showcasing our faculty and  students. I have become more involved with community groups and the usefulness of our degree programs for the workforce. We are continuously looking for ways to connect our  students to careers in their given fields of study and to let the community know about the  quality education that is the LSUA Experience!

I’ve had wonderful mentors from my time in graduate school at LSU through the various  positions held at LSUA. Our current administration is supportive and encouraging, and that  positivity can be felt across campus. We have just had our 8th straight semester of enrollment  growth. In a time when other campuses are seeing enrollment declines, we are poised for  continued progress. Being a part of this endeavor is exciting.

PT: What have been her major goals in this new position?

Dr. Treuting: I want to spread the word about LSUA and the quality education our students  receive here. Major goals include highlighting and increasing student research opportunities,  and promoting degree programs both within the state as well as nationwide, with our online component. I also have made it a priority to reach out to our neighboring parish of Avoyelles,  our second largest student contributor, to raise the LSUA profile in those communities. Our  faculty strive to infuse the curriculum with creative and innovative approaches. LSUA’s Online Psychology program was recently named #2 in the nation for affordability. We believe that students may come to us for our lower costs, and lessor debt, but stay with us because of our  quality programs.

PT: What are the three main challenges she has been faced with?

Dr. Treuting: Of course, Covid has been a challenge for Higher Education in general. LSUA was able to meet those challenges because our faculty worked diligently to ensure students continued to move forward with their degrees and progressed toward graduation.

A second challenge involves staffing and ensuring students are getting the highest quality  education possible. Our traditional class sizes are small, the online components supported by  LSU-Online have increased our reach across the state and nationally. LSUA has a dedicated  group of faculty and staff, and I have enjoyed working with multiple disciplines to ensure we are meeting the needs of our students.

I think a third challenge is one of time. Being out in the community, interacting with a multitude  of stakeholders takes time. I have continued to teach in a limited capacity, but wish I could  clone myself to increase my productivity. There are so many good programs in our community  and so many possible collaborations. I love the brainstorming that goes along with creating  unique student opportunities. We have put together a Dean’s Advisory Council made up of a  wonderful group of students who have actively participated in ideas for strengthening our  programs. Combining ideas across multiple disciplines is intriguing, and a bit challenging, but  also immensely rewarding. Fundraising is a new area for me, but one that I am embracing in  order to meet our goals.

PT: What has she enjoyed the most?

Dr. Treuting: I love the freedom to think broadly and futuristically. The reception and support by our community is palpable. LSUA is poised to not only be innovative in our approach but also our administration is very supportive of a growth mindset and continuous improvement- two of the themes the campus has adopted.

PT: Is she still involved in the psychology department? If so, in what ways? What does she miss  most?

Dr. Treuting: Oh YES!! Our psychology department is an important part of the College of Social  Sciences. Of note, it is one of the largest and fastest growing programs on the entire campus. I  am working with other psychology faculty as we continue to grow and develop that program. I  have maintained my faculty status as a full professor of Psychology. Additionally, within the  college, Psychology has been joined by other degree programs, Criminal Justice, History,  Political Science and Disaster Science. Our college theme is “Shaping Societies” since our common thread is helping students gain the knowledge and skills that will shape their world  within the social context. I miss teaching the most, but am still able to teach at least one  psychology class each semester. I do miss more involvement with psychology students.

PT: Did her background in psychology help prepare her for this new role?

Dr. Treuting: I use “psychology“ every day! I have no doubt that my background in psychology  has prepared me well for this position. I see the Dean’s role as one that assists faculty and  students in the pursuit of their goals. My job is to support them and try to figure out ways to  fulfill their ideas and allow growth to happen. We have so many creative minds; our faculty are  developing new courses and setting up useful internships, which in turn help our students find  their own path. I have been asked to speak to Business Leadership groups, teenagers, prison  employees and women’s groups on topics ranging from emotional intelligence to emotional  health and leadership. Psychology plays a significant role in my world. Active listening, problem  solving, conflict management, and empathy are all frequent skills I depend on to get things done. This is true for programs in Criminal Justice, History, Political and Disaster Science as well  as Psychology.

One of the things I often tell students who are considering Psychology as a major is that if you  plan on working with people, a Psychology degree can be extremely beneficial. We don’t know  what the future holds in terms of specific jobs, but we do know that the science of behavior is  useful in many social settings. I had no ambitions of being a dean, but had an evolution from  psychologist to professor to department chair and now to Dean. It has been a fun career and I  have enjoyed each of these roles immensely.

Dr. Treuting has broad experience and background. She has taught extensively including Educational Psychology, Psychology of Adjustment, Child Psychology, Adolescent Psychology,  Developmental Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, Personality, History of Modern Psychology, and Senior Seminar in Psychology.

Her publications include, “Acceptance of response cost methods: Teachers’ and psychologists’  reactions,” in the Canadian Journal of School Psychology, and “The behavior untervention rating  scale: Development and validation of a pretreatment acceptability and effectiveness measure,”  in the Journal of School Psychology.

She has served as a coordinator for a Title III Federal Development Grant-$1.8 million.

She has made many presentations and conducted training on topics that include, “Emotional  Intelligence: An Essential Facet of Leadership,” Invited Presentation, CENLA Leadership; “Roles  for Faculty in Student Success and Retention,” Presentation at Fall Teaching Institute, Louisiana  State University at Alexandria, and LSUA 1001 Faculty- Peer Mentors Workshop, and “Creating a  Culture of Faculty Engagement,” Workshop Presentation at National Teaching Professor  Conference, Boston.

She delivered “Resilient Woman Working: Women Leading from the Middle,” Louisiana Association of Women in Higher Education, Annual Conference, Conference of Louisiana  Colleges and Universities, and “Standardized Tests: Linking Assessment to the Classroom,”  Faculty Workshop for St. Frances Cabrini School, Alexandria.

She also has extensive community service. Examples include serving on the Foodbank Board  Capital Campaign – Current Board of Directors Central Louisiana Food Bank; she served as the  Executive Committee-Secretary, Diocese of Alexandria, Vocations Advisory Board; and for CENLA A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Community, Theology, Service) Catholic Outreach. She has served as  Retreat Director, Holy Savior Menard Advisory Council, Bishop Appointment and on the  Alexandria Museum of Art – Board Member (secretary), as well as with the Habitat for Humanity  and with Hospice.

What else is happening in her life?

“My family is very important to me,” said Dr. Treuting. “My three sons are grown, are educated,  married and settled in to their own lives. I am the proud ‘Omie’ of 4 adorable grandchildren and my husband and I now have the freedom to travel and experience life on a new level. I am full of gratitude!”

Attorneys representing both sides agreed to a dismissal of the lawsuit by Dr. Gregory Gormanous that alleged the state psychology board, on which he serves, was failing to provide  accommodations for his disability by denying him the opportunity to attend through virtual  sessions.

A Stipulation of Dismissal with prejudice was filed on July 29, closing the proceedings after Judge Terry Doughty, United States District Court, denied Dr. Gormanous’ Motion for Preliminary  Injunction.

In Judge Doughty’s analysis, he wrote: “This Court agrees with Judge Drell that the ADA would  supersede Louisiana’s Open Meetings Law but denies Gormanous’ request for preliminary injunction in this case for other reasons. This Court finds that the accommodations offered by LSBEP to Gormanous were reasonable. The Governor’s emergency COVID-19 order expired on March 16, 2022. LSBEP offered  accommodations recommending social distancing and masks, a reserved table with a single seat at least six feet away from others only for Gormanous, and/or  one-way broadcasting of meetings. These are reasonable accommodations that would protect Gormanous and allow him to attend the meetings in a manner that would not impede on his  health issues. […]”

“Additionally, LSBEP has valid due process concerns with respect to applicants and/or persons undergoing disciplinary procedures. LSBEP’s powers include the power to examine for, deny, approve, revoke, suspend, and renew the licenses of applicants, candidates, and psychologists.  Conducting hearings by Zoom raises due process concerns for applicants, candidates, and  psychologists. These important due process protections of applicants, candidates, and psychologists appearing before LSBEP shows a very valid concern by LSBEP of Gormanous’  request.

In his June 6 filing in the United States District Court Western District of Louisiana, Dr.  Gormanous asked for a Preliminary Injunction in his favor against defendants Jaime T. Monic, in her official capacity as Executive Director of the LSBEP, and the LSBEP as a political entity. He  alleged that Ms. Monic and the LSBEP have unlawfully discriminated against Dr. Gormanous by (1) failing to provide a reasonable accommodation and (2) using eligibility criteria that tends to  screen out people with disabilities.

Dr. Gormanous is 74 years old and has various medical conditions, including chronic  obstructive  pulmonary disease (COPD) and a pacemaker, that make him highly susceptible to  COVID-19, noted authors of the June 6 Motion.

In a June email to colleagues, Dr. Gormanous wrote, “Supporting discrimination does not align  with the ideals of psychology. Throughout this ordeal, I have unsuccessfully tried to minimize LSBEP’s expenditures of scarce limited human & financial resources. I tried to resolve issues  with a civil inquiry beginning in JUN 2020. During the FEB 22, 2022 meeting, I was met with  cognitively rigid replies. Statements like I was asking the ED to break the law by attending by  Zoom. As a result, LSBEP’s flawed decision-making process necessitated litigation that continues to result in their spending unnecessary legal fees.”

As follow-up to their January complaint that the Louisiana State Board of Examiners of  Psychologists is inappropriately using the national licensing exam as a single hurdle, resulting in discrimination against Blacks and other minorities, a group of psychologists have submitted a position statement to the Board.

In the statement, the psychologists give seven ethical and legal points, and argue that using the  EPPP is not only illegal but also inherently discriminatory,” and that, “The test is racist, and its  use must be restricted.”

In one conclusion they write, “The State Board must immediately offer an alternative path for  licensing that relies on either a reduced cutoff score OR specific board supervision for individuals who are so marred by systemic racism that they perform poorly on standardized  tests.”

In January, the psychologists, Drs. William Costelloe, Julie Nelson, and Marc Zimmermann,  business psychologists who have extensive experience with high stakes selection testing in the  private sector, submitted “A Request for Investigation,” stating that members of the Louisiana  State Board of Examiners of Psychologists are operating outside of their area of competence in regard to selection–testing and racial discrimination. The request was rejected by the Board. In  a letter dated March 7, Ms. Jaime Monic, the Executive Director, said that the members do not  have jurisdiction over themselves. Also, she said, they are not engaged in the practice of psychology as board members.

However, they are open to reviewing this issue, Ms. Monic wrote. She said to send any  information and they would review it. The psychologists have sent several documents.

In the most recent position statement, authors wrote:

“We have seven ethical and even legal concerns regarding the current Psychology licensing  procedures and how they affect Black psychologists, other people of color, and many others from historically disenfranchised groups. These criticisms are noted explicitly for Black  psychologists. They may also apply to people from linguistic, cultural, and religious minorities,  including people who identify as nonbinary.

“First, although we are not lawyers, we note the overwhelming psychometric and legal  problems with the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP). This test is used  in all 50 states (though not Puerto Rico), and states use a criterion of 500 to pass. The test relies on content validity alone with no evidence of other validities. As Sharpless (2018) noted in a  review, “It is unknown if scores are associated with relevant performance criteria” (p. 161).  While this was acceptable in the 1980s (Kane, 1981), it is not acceptable now, as Kane (2016)  notes.

“There is no evidence that the test predicts competency, adequacy, or professionalism. We are  unaware of any evidence published in peer review sources that currently link this test to the  objective performance criteria of licensed, professional psychologists.

Quite ironically, and perhaps hypocritically, the standards required of our profession for testing  others, for example, in Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, are not applied to  psychologists when they must regulate themselves. These include what courts consider  minimally necessary: test stability, evidence of findings in peer-reviewed publications, and  predictive error rate.

“Beyond this, in Griggs v. Duke Power, the Supreme Court ruled that if employment-related tests  had a disparate impact on protected groups (illustrated below), the organization requiring the  test must prove that the test in use is “reasonably related” to the duties performed on the job.  There is no peer-reviewed evidence that the EPPP is reasonably related to the responsibilities of practicing psychologists. There is no published evidence that it measures skill knowledge and much less skills competency.”

According to the June minutes from the Board, “Dr. Gibson reported that additional information has been sent to the Board, by the individuals raising concerns about the use of the EPPP. Dr. Gibson recommended that a committee be formed to comprehensively study the concerns  addressed in the complaint about the EPPP and its bias against minority populations and that in order to avoid the perception of bias, board members with close ties to ASPPB should not be  members of the committee.”

Senator Beth Mizell’s “Fairness in Women’s Sports Act,” becomes law this week after the Governor declined to veto or sign the measure. The new law, Act 283, will have the effect of  prohibiting transgender females, those assigned as male at birth, from competing in traditional women’s sports.

In a June 6 letter to the President of the Louisiana Senate, Governor Edwards, who had signaled  that he would veto the measure, explained his reasons. “[…] after passing this legislation  overwhelmingly in two consecutive regular legislative sessions, it is clearly the will of the  legislature that this bill become law.

Further, it is clear to me, both from the support for this bill and from private conversations with legislators, that Senate Bill 44 would have become law regardless of my action on it.”

Sen. Mizell’s bill passed the Senate by 32 to 6 and the House by 72 to 21. A similar effort failed,  by two votes, to override the Governor’s veto in 2021.

According to the final digest, Act 283 requires an athletic team or sporting event sponsored by  an elementary, secondary, or postsecondary educational institution to be designated, based  upon the biological sex of team members, as only one of the following: “(1) A males, boys, or  mens team or event only for students who are biological males. (2) A females, girls, or womens  team or event only for students who are biological females. (3) A coeducational or mixed team  or event for students who are biological males or biological females.”

Also according to the digest, nothing in new law is intended to prevent any school from  implementing or maintaining a coed athletic team or sporting event which is open to both  biological males and biological females so long as a female athletic team or sporting event is  not disbanded for the purpose of creating a coed team or event which would thereby result to  the detriment of biological female students. And also nothing in new law shall be construed to apply to an intramural athletic team or intramural sport.

In his June 6 letter, Governor Edwards expressed his feelings about the legislation. “Despite it becoming law,” he said, “I stand by my position on this issue over the last several years as it has  been debated. This legislation unfairly targets vulnerable children who are already struggling  with gaining acceptance in every aspect of their lives.“

“It is unconscionable.” Gov. Edwards wrote, “to have these organizations year after year  continue to push the same legislation to capitalize on this issue at the expense of these children who are just trying to learn how to live their everyday lives,” he said.

“It is my sincere hope that we as a state become more educated about our transgender  community and the difficult and unique challenges they face. We should strive to be better and  more understanding.”

Mizell’s bill highlights the crossroads of transgender individuals’ rights and the rights of  biological female athletes. The issue has galvanized both the political left and right across the  country.

The American Psychological Association opposes these measures, stating, “Transgender  children vary in athletic ability, just as other youth do. There is no evidence to support claims  that allowing transgender student athletes to play on the team that fits their gender identity would affect the nature of the sport or competition.”

The Louisiana Psychological Association opposed the 2021 SB 156 and the Louisiana School Psychological Association labeled the 2021 bill as discriminatory saying, “SB 156 runs counter to our obligation to support all students’ dignity and privacy, particularly those with transgender  and gender diverse backgrounds.”